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Al Arabi opened their 2025-2026 QSL Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Al Wakrah in the first round at Al Shamal Stadium Tuesday while Al Ahli and Al Duhail played out a goalless draw at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium.Al Arabi found the net through U-23 player Salem Reda in the 8th minute, Pablo Sarabia in the 41st, and Marwan Sherif in the 50th minute. Al Wakrah’s lone goal came from substitute Redouane Berkane in the 81st minute.Al Ahli and Al Duhail battled hard but weren’t able to break the deadlock, eventually settling for the stalemate.In the opening half, Al Ahli were a bit more forceful and even had a few chances but were not able to convert any.The second session saw Al Duhail push harder but luck eluded them as in the 54th minute an Adil Boulbina kick went on to hit the crossbar.The match was also marked by some rough tackles with Al Ahli picking up 4 yellow cards and Al Duhail 2.Today, four matches will be played, with Al Khor facing Al Bidda SC and Al Shahania taking on Al Sailiya in simultaneous kick-offs. Al Shamal will meet Umm Salal, while Al Rayyan will face Qatar SC in the day’s later fixtures.

The Qatar Stars League continues with preparations for the 2025-26 QSL Cup aligning with modern formats used in several continental and international tournaments. This is part of a development plan that includes raising technical standards, increasing the number of matches, enhancing competition and exposure, providing young players with the opportunity to gain experience, and developing competitions for Second Division teams. To clarify all details related to the tournament, the match system, and the levels, the organization held a meeting with the participating clubs (First Division and Second Division) on Monday. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Qatar Stars League: Ahmed Salman al-Adsani, Director of Competitions; Abdullah Saleh al-Sulaiti, Director of Media and Communications; Ahmed Abdullah al-Sayed, Head of Football Operations; and representatives from several clubs and media outlets. The meeting included the following: - An explanation of the tournament system and the draw mechanism. The participating teams (20 teams) will be divided into five levels, each containing four teams. The process of determining the five levels will be based on the final standings of the teams in the First Division and Second Division Leagues for the previous season (2024-2025). A draw will be conducted to determine the matchups. According to the tournament system, during the league stage, each team will play 10 matches over 10 weeks against teams of different levels (two matches from each of the five levels). The tournament will begin on September 1, 2025. A Technical Meeting for the tournament was also held, attended by representatives of the Foundation, the participating clubs, and the Referees Department of the Qatar Football Association. The new conditions and system were reviewed, and it was emphasized that the first and second-placed teams will qualify directly for the quarter-finals. Teams ranked third through fourteenth will also advance to the next stage, with six knock-out matches played, from which six teams will advance to the quarter-finals. The organizational procedures, guidelines for match-day operations, and confirmation of the home and away kits for each team were also discussed.